Mbaty (storytelling)

The ‘two worlds’ of outback Northern Territory and the inner west of Sydney would seem to have little in common. Mbaty – a new exhibition at Delmar Gallery tells a story of the two.

It was six years ago that indigenous students from Ti Tree, a small town near Alice Springs, first came to study at Meriden and Trinity Grammar School in Sydney’s inner west. Before long the Ti Tree community was hosting the Sydney students with its very own cultural exchange. Mbaty is the fruit from the most recent visit – comprising student photography as well as paintings and jewelry from indigenous Ti Tree artists such as April Campbell.

Sydney-based visual artist Alexandra Wood has taken around 8,000 photographs in and around Ti Tree, with only a small selection on display. After several visits she is an avid supporter of the exchange – and especially the enrichment it brings to both groups.

“Spending a week in Ti Tree was a profound experience for the Trinity students – like nothing they would have encountered before,” says Wood. “Each night we would have a debrief and students would raise issues – some that they enjoyed and others that they found confronting.”

The small primary school is very much a cultural hub in the little town of 400 with many indigenous students travelling long distances each day for learning. Understandably attendance rates can fluctuate – though there is a special attraction when the Sydney students are in town. Whether painting, playing music in the band room or some sporting challenge, having 20 new friends from Sydney is a big deal.

“I know that the students from Trinity got a lot out of being in the classroom,” says Wood. “Interacting with the indigenous students, helping with their educational needs or even going bush and watching the traditional ways of the women and elders is a stunning experience.”

November 6-9, 12-5pm, Delmar Gallery, 144 Victoria St, Ashfield, 95816070. Admission free with all proceeds from artwork sold going to the Ti Tree School.